The University of
North Carolina
HerbariumA Department of the North Carolina Botanical Garden

Volunteer at the UNC
Herbarium

We depend on our dedicated volunteers to do much
of the work in the Herbarium!

Most volunteers work from 2 to 4 hours at a
time. The number of times per week OR per month OR per year you work are very
flexible. If you want to come in several times a week that's fine; if you
want to come in once a month that's fine too. Several volunteers donate their
time in the heat of the summer or in the depths of winter when outdoor
activities do not beckon them. Others find that coming in for a few hours
every week suits their schedule.

Once trained at mounting or sewing or filing,
volunteers can work independently, and decide which task(s) they want to do.

Volunteers are encouraged to enjoy the CD player
or listen to books on tape as they work. We have refrigerators and a
microwave for storing food or heating food. Free coffee and tea are always
available. Free parking in the Bell Tower Lot adjacent to Coker Hall is
available by pre-arrangement with Carol Ann McCormick, the Assistant Curator.

Many of the specimens that are incorporated
into the collection are mounted by volunteers. It takes about 30 minutes to
be trained in the science and art of mounting plant specimens on paper. It
takes 1-5 minutes to mount a specimen. It is work that can be done sitting
down or standing up in the air conditioned Prep Room of the UNC Herbarium
in Coker Hall.

Right: Volunteer Elizabeth Morgan
mounting specimens.

Filing Herbarium Specimens

Only those volunteers who are familiar with
plant taxonomy and botanical nomenclature take on the complicated task of
filing completed specimens. We have over 700,000 specimens in 450 cases,
and if a specimen is filed incorrectly it could take years (decades!)
before it is rediscovered! However, we are ALWAYS in need of people who are
capable of filing, so if you want to delve into the collection in a serious
way, let us know!

Right: Volunteer Cindy Skema filing specimens.

Sewing and Final Gluing of Herbarium Specimens

Volunteers handle most of the sewing and final
gluing of our specimens. It takes about 15 minutes to learn the techniques
that the UNC Herbarium uses. No prior sewing skills needed. Each specimen
takes 1 - 5 minutes to complete. Sewing and gluing is usually the first
skill that a volunteer learns. It is a relaxing, sedentary task that is
done in the air conditioned Prep Room of the Herbarium in Coker Hall.